Everything That We Could Be
by brandnewstart
Summary: In which Lydia has no post-bite hallucinations and Stiles finally gets the girl. Set after Ice Pick.


Yes, I've recycled my other story's former title for this one-shot. I'm cool (and creative) like that.

* * *

Stiles had never been more grateful to have Scott as his best friend than he did that day.

He didn't care if none of that would have probably ever happened hadn't Scott been a werewolf, and a freaking messed up one at that, and managed to win Allison over with his newly found confidence and skills.

It had been a cascade of events. No werewolf Scott would have meant no Allison, no _Lydia's-best-friend-_Allison. It would have meant no sort of double date at the ice skating rink. It would have meant no Stiles having the time of his life.

If he thought he was in love with Lydia before, now he definitely was head over heels for her.

Actually hanging out with Lydia was so _so_ much better than he could have ever thought. Out of school, away from social labels and her shallow, mean posse of friends, Lydia Martin was genuinely nice and sweet. As if she wasn't already perfect enough in Stiles' eyes.

She was the only one he knew who wasn't all tangled up into the supernatural thing, and spending time with her was like breathing fresh air again after months of living in a smokey world.

They had skated together – she was impossibly good at it, just as she was at any other thing he had ever seen her doing – talked, and laughed.

"Do you wanna try the photo booth?" Stiles asked with a smile as they were taking off their skates.

Lydia smiled right back at him and shrugged. "Sure."

He helped her up, offering her his hand. She took it, gently squeezing it as she stood up, and not letting it go as she happily walked towards the photo booth.

They sat inside and Lydia pulled the red curtain, encompassing them in the intimacy of the small space.

Stiles wanted to scream out his excitement, he had never been that close to her before. He gulped and pressed the button.

It felt weird, because neither of them really knew what to do, they surely couldn't take photos while kissing like Scott and Allison did, and sitting there just smiling felt terribly awkward.

As the fourth and last photo's click went out, Stiles felt Lydia's lips on his cheek, he could feel her smiling into the little kiss.

It lasted only a moment, it was over before he even knew it, and as soon as their time was out, Lydia quickly left the booth, leaving a dumbfounded Stiles with the goofiest smile on his blushing face.

* * *

He didn't know what had happened between them, what suddenly had Lydia have such a change of heart about him, but he was infinitely glad she had.

It started after the ice rink sort of date. She would spend most of her time at school with him, sitting next to him in class, having lunch with him, she would constantly smile at him and brush his arm, his hand, his leg with hers from time to time.

For Stiles, it was heaven on Earth.

What confused him, though, was that he didn't know whether things were ever going to get more serious, if they were ever actually going to _be_ together. Things certainly seemed headed that way, but it was Lydia after all, he was sure she was the love of his life, and he didn't want to risk making assumptions and getting his hopes up if nothing was ever going to happen.

So many times, he almost was about to ask her, but part of him was too scared he would have ended up losing even what she was willing to give him now, and he wasn't sure if it was worth the risk. Was he willing to be whatever she wanted him to be? Without asking, without hurting.

He just let her lead. Let her take her time. He had been waiting for her for years, and now that he had her, well, just a tiny part of her, he was sure he could wait a little longer. He would wait forever for her.

* * *

"I wanna go to the movies tonight, I feel like I haven't watched a good film in ages!" Lydia whined, playing around with her lunch.

It was Tuesday, just another boring school day, and Lydia, Allison, and Stiles were having lunch in the cafeteria, while Scott was in the library, revising his poor Biology notes for his make up test the day after.

Allison finished to swallow her bite of cutlet and answered. "I have to help Scott going through my notes for tomorrow," she said apologetically, shrugging at her best friend.

Lydia sighed, looking over at Stiles, sat at her left. "Please tell me you can come," she pleaded.

Stiles looked up from his lunch, surprise evident on his face. "Mh-what?" In all honesty, he hadn't paid much attention to what the girls were talking about, but he had paid just enough to understand that their discussion had possibly just ended with him and Lydia going to the movies. Alone. Just the two of them. Just him and Lydia. They had never gone out alone, they would just tag alone with Scott and Allison during their dates from time to time, but _never_ alone.

Lydia looked at him weirdly. "Are you free tonight? We can watch The Avengers if you want, I don't really care, I'm just tired of watching the same old movies all the time," she stated, rolling her eyes.

Stiles almost choke on his bite of salad as he stuttered a quiet "Yes," while nodding his head in a trance-like state.

Lydia smiled, satisfied, nodding happily to herself. "Come pick me up at eight," she half-ordered, leaving Stiles speechless and starting to mindlessly talk with Allison once again.

* * *

Stiles rang the Martins household's door bell at eight on the dot, extremely nervous and extremely excited at the same time.

Lydia greeted him with the most beautiful smile opening the door. "Hi," she sounded out of breath, her curls framing her porcelain-like face. She was wearing a tight, dark red dress, heels of course, and had a brown leather jacket rolled on her right arm, a little silver purse hanging on the other.

She looked gorgeous, radiant. And Stiles felt like he fell in love with her all over again.

He could only smile at her, overwhelmed by a cascade of feelings, not able speak. Lydia smiled right back at him, almost shyly, blushing. Stiles couldn't quite place what it was, but something about her was different that night, something about the way she would look at him, about the way she would hold herself.

The ride to the cinema was quiet, the air between them crackling with electricity. Lydia spent the whole time fidgeting with her hands on her lap, biting down on her bottom lip nervously.

They did end up watching The Avengers, but as much as Stiles had been obsessing everybody over that movie for weeks, he knew that with Lydia beside him, he would have never paid enough attention to it to actually know what was going on. Hell, he probably wouldn't have been able to explain half of the plot. He was just too nervous, and he couldn't focus.

The situation got even worse when they turned off the lights in the cinema. In the dark, he could feel the heath radiating from Lydia's body warming his left side, he knew that her hand on the joined arm of their seats was a mere centimeter away from his, and that all he had to do to touch her was move his fingers slightly.

He clenched his hand in a fist, fighting the urge to reach out for her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he was observing her every move, she was still chewing on her bottom lip, torturing herself over something he wished he could take away from her, he hated seeing her so torn up and worried.

Stiles' head started to hurt, he was thinking way too much. He had to act, for once in his life, he had to man up.

He realized he couldn't be her friend, he had never been, he was _never_ going to be _just_ her friend. At worst, she would have rejected him, and he would have felt terribly humiliated, but she was worth it, she was worth it all.

Tentatively, Stiles reached out for Lydia's hand over their seats' shared arm. It didn't take him more than a second, her hand was right there, right beside his, as if it was waiting for his hand to hold.

He held his breath as he gently took her small, soft hand in his, gently. He looked over at her, for anything, any sign that could tell him if what he was doing was okay, or terribly wrong.

Lydia simply smiled, brightly, squeezing his hand and intertwining their fingers.

Stiles was sure, that at any moment, his heart was going to burst out of his chest; it was thumping erratically, so loud he could feel it beat in his ears. Sighing in relief, he looked down at their intertwined fingers, in awe of how perfectly they fit together, of how beautiful and promising that sight was.

A goofy grin made its way to his lips, and the rest of the movie passed in a blur.

* * *

When the movie was over, the pair left the cinema still hand in hand. Stiles just couldn't stop looking at their intertwined fingers, Lydia was blushing and smiling.

"Go for a walk with me?" she said, letting their hands swing between them.

Stiles nodded, and they walked through the empty streets in silence. Eventually, they ended up sitting on a bench in the park.

"I need to tell you something," Lydia broke the silence after a good ten minutes, letting go of Stiles' hand a turning to look at him.

Stiles was immediately saddened by the loss of her warm, little hand in his and his palm immediately feel terribly cold and dry.

"You can tell me everything," he stated seriously, his eyes losing themselves in Lydia's emerald green orbs.

Lydia drew in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "I like you." She blurted it out so quickly he almost didn't catch it. But he did.

He was shocked, surprised even. Not that he hadn't started to suspect it, _hope_ it, up to that moment, but it was _Lydia_, only the love of his freaking life after all.

Stiles smiled softly, taking her hand in his once again. This time, he was the one to intertwine their fingers. Lydia's eyes widened.

There were a million things Stiles would have wanted to say, he would have probably started dancing right there and then in the middle of the street if he could, but he wasn't a little boy anymore. He was a man, and that moment was possibly the most important moment of his life, and he was sharing with the girl-no, _woman_, he loved.

"Were you worried to tell me?" he asked, puzzled. She knew he was hopelessly in love with her. Everybody did.

"Obviously?" she half-scoffed, smiling coyly. She was looking down at their intertwined hands, gently playing with his fingers.

Stiles wanted to say that it made no sense, because she had to know that he loved her, but he knew it was too soon to say it out loud. "I like you, too," was all he said instead, scooting closer to her.

Lydia finally looked up into his chocolate brown eyes, they were impossibly close now, and Stiles' hand left hers to cup her face, caressing her cheek tenderly.

They both closed their eyes at the same moment, eyelashes fluttering and hearts beating frenetically in their chests.

Their noses finally touched, and just as Lydia gripped the collar of Stiles' shirt in her hands, their lips met and they shared their first kiss.

It wasn't sparks, or fireworks, or background music, it was so, so, _so much better_. They meant so much to each other, their bond had grown so strong in time, and they had been waiting for that moment right there for so long that it was impossible for either of them to stop being nervous or awkward.

That's why they bumped their noses when Lydia tried to deepen the kiss, and why Stiles' hand in her strawberry blonde locks accidentally let two of her hair pins fall out. That's why they couldn't stop grinning into the kiss, and why no matter how both of them desperately needed air, neither wanted to be the first one to break the kiss. That's why they spent the rest of their night kissing and cuddling, and just being happy.

As they did with the rest of their lives. Together.

* * *

Review and I'll bake you virtual cookies! :D

Also, please go check out my other Stiles/Lydia's story, Hold On To Me.


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